Chapter 15: The First Duel
The Destiny's Bounty 3 flies across the landscape, speeding by the iconic landmarks that at one time or another defined the legacy of Ninjago's past and secured the heroics of Ninjago's future. These Lloyd point out to Kigaru and Yuuma, who until that time had only heard of the places in villager stories.
"See that circle of ruins over there," Lloyd pointed. "That's the lost city of Ouroboros."
"Is that where mean old Pythor released the Great Devourer," Kigaru asked.
"The very spot," Lloyd nodded.
"Cool," Yuuma awed. "I bet you guys were awesome!"
"Actually, I didn't fight at all," Lloyd blushed.
"Were you chicken," Yuuma asked.
"No way," Lloyd blushed. "You see, I was your age Yuuma when the Great Devourer attacked Ninjago. I didn't have the training to help my friends. All I did was drive the first Destiny's Bounty."
"I'd hate to face that snake," Kigaru shivered.
"I wouldn't," Yuuma boasted. "I could take that guy down any day."
Yuuma showed off some of his improved karate moves, then slipped and landed on his back. Lloyd chuckled, then helped Yuuma to his feet again.
"Fortunately, the Great Devourer is no more," Lloyd smiled.
"Your father sure smoked that meanie," Yuuma laughed.
Lloyd's smile dissapitated. He glanced back at the fading city of Ouroboros, sighing with a grim look of concern on his face. Then he heard footsteps on the deck, followed by Kigaru and Yuuma's shouting and laughing. Master Wu and Misako appeared on the deck, embraced at once by the two trainees.
"Kigaru, Yuuma, be still," Wu laughed. "You're as jumpy as Lloyd when he was little. Have you enjoyed the scenery?"
"Yes, Master," Kigaru smiled. "Master Lloyd was just telling us about Ouroboros."
"Oh, teaching you the past now, was he," Wu winked. "Very wise of him. The past is worthy of remembering, even if there are parts we wish to erase from our timeline."
He winked at Lloyd, who smiled weakly and nodded.
"Now then, are we prepared for today's duel," Wu continued. "You have done well to learn the martial arts. Now is the time to prove your skills, to show that you may proceed in your training."
Kigaru and Yuuma raced over to opposite ends of the deck, while Lloyd and Wu stepped to the side. Lloyd then pointed to a rack of weapons on the left side of the deck.
"True ninja do not rely solely on their martial arts," Lloyd stated. "Just as the enemy employs many weapons, so we also must adapt in our combat. Here before are weapons used by ninja. Choose which weapon you will duel with."
Yuuma and Kigaru walked over to the rack. Yuuma grabbed a katana immediately and raced back to position, but Kigaru stalled for a minute. She glanced at every weapon available, then selected a pair of shurikens and strolled back to her post.
"Do you have your desired weapon," Lloyd asked.
"Yes, Master," Kigaru and Yuuma nodded.
"Then let the first duel begin," Lloyd ordered.
He banged a small gong, signaling the beginning of the duel. Yuuma and Kigaru began to circle, Yuuma swinging his katana and Kigaru spinning her shurikens. Then Yuuma surged forward, launching a forward strike at Kigaru. Kigaru jumped to her right, avoiding the katana by a few inches. Yuuma tumbled into the deck, his sword clanking onto the ground.
"You missed," Kigaru smiled.
Yuuma frowned, then jumped back onto his feet. He snatched up his sword, then dodged one of Kigaru's launched shurikens. The shuriken stuck into the ground a few inches beside Yuuma, who immediately counterattacked with another surge. Kigaru dodged again, but this time Yuuma maintained his footing and his grip.
"Not going to fall for that trick again," Yuuma swore.
"I have plenty to spare," Kigaru laughed, flicking a shuriken toward Yuuma's feet.
Yuuma jumped, swinging his katana toward Kigaru's head. Kigaru ducked, letting the sword slice through the air above her. Then as Yuuma fell, she jumped, launching a shuriken into his sword. It clanked off the blade, flying over the side into the sea.
"Kigaru," Lloyd shouted. "Watch your aim."
"Sorry, master," Kigaru blushed. "I'll be more careful next time."
She jumped away from Yuuma's katana, somersaulting toward her shuriken in the floorboards. At the same time, Yuuma charged, diving headfirst toward Kigaru. He narrowly missed, crashing again into the deck. His katana skipped over the side, plummeting like an arrow through the desert below.
"Yuuma," Lloyd scolded. "You too now. Katanas and shurikens both don't belong outside the arena."
"Yes, master," Yuuma grumbled.
Kigaru launched her shuriken again, this time grazing Yuuma's right leg as it flew by him. Yuuma yelped, then charged straight toward the weapons rack. Before he arrived, she side-kicked him aside, knocking him flat onto the ground. For a moment, Yuuma's head spun, then he regained his senses in time to deflect one of Kigaru's punches.
Together, they rolled all over the deck, punching and kicking each other without any aim or coordination. Lloyd watched with increasing amusement, while Wu let a small smile escape his otherwise firm lips. They both knew better than to intervene, as active dueling was the fastest way to learn and adapt. But until one of them adapted, the duel would continue, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
Suddenly, Yuuma launched Kigaru with his feet, sending her flying into the mast of the ship. Kigaru slumped to the ground, too dazed to make another move. Yuuma began jumping up and down, celebrating what appeared to be his first victory. Lloyd, though, showed no joy; he was too concerned about Kigaru's health to congratulate Yuuma.
"Kigaru is fine, Lloyd," Wu assured him. "You've survived worse hits than that. Trust me. She'll get up again in a moment."
Wu was right. Kigaru slowly rose to her feet again, wobbling with pain as she braced herself against the mast. Then she entered a fighting stance, beckoning for Yuuma to continue the duel. He stopped jumping, staring with wide eyes at Kigaru.
"You're not done," Yuuma gasped.
"Ninja never quit," Kigaru quipped. "Finish this fight like a real ninja."
Yuuma smirked, then pulled down his hood. He entered his fighting stance, then charged at Kigaru with full force. Kigaru did not flinch, instead locking her feet into the deck. Then she closed her eyes and started reciting something she had never heard before:
I am one with the elements; the elements are one with me. The element is my ally, my shield against the forces of evil. I am but a servant of the element. The element is a defense, never an offense. I am the element; the element is me.
Kigaru's hands and eyes started to glow radiant light gold, which shone across the deck and blinded everyone there. Her arms and legs began to tighen, the energy of the glow thundering through the veins like a roaring wind. Then, without warning, she blasted the energy at Yuuma, skyrocketing him into the wall of the control room. A wooden cage formed around him, trapping his dazed body inside.
"You see Yuuma," Kigaru smiled. "Ninja never quit."
"You win, you win," Yuuma gasped.
Everything faded away upon Yuuma's words, the cage and Kigaru's energy dissolving into the air. Then Kigaru crumpled to the ground, weak from her unexpected surge of power. Lloyd was beside her side in an instant.
"Kigaru, are you alright," he asked nervously.
"I'm…I'm fine, Master Lloyd, " Kigaru smiled weakly. "I…I'm only tired. What happened?"
"I don't know," Lloyd sighed. "Come. You need your rest. You and Yuuma both."
Kigaru, led by Lloyd's hand, waddled over to Yuuma, then followed him and Lloyd into the control room. A few minutes later, Lloyd emerged alone, approaching Wu with a look of concern.
"What bothers you, son," Misako asked.
"Kigaru," Lloyd sighed. "The power she displayed today…it's unnatural."
"Unnatural," Wu questioned. "Or is it simply confusing? I too did not expect Kigaru's power to reveal itself, nor did I anticipate the degree of power shown. But she will recover. Have faith in your pupil."
"Faith," Lloyd sighed. "I already have faith in her."
"Then trust that she will recover," Misako nodded. "No victory is won without scars and bruises; it is how we overcome that defines our legacy. Remember the resistance, and how your endurance assured the final victory over the Sons of Garmadon."
"I guess you're right," Lloyd smiled weakly. "Thanks."
Lloyd strolled slowly back to the control room, leaving Wu and Misako to gaze out at the setting desert sun.
"What bothers you, Misako," Wu asked.
"I sense that Lloyd is hiding something from me," Misako confessed. "He is more downcast than usual. And when I brought up the Sons of Garmadon, I sensed a deep pain arouse within him."
"Pain, like pleasure, is inevitable," Wu consoled. "I too feel sorrowed when Garmadon is mentioned to me."
"I refer to more than Garmadon, Wu," Misako replied.
"Ah," Wu realized. "You speak of…"
"Please, don't mention her," Misako interrupted. "She still boils my blood a little."
"Alright, I won't," Wu smiled. "The truth must nevertheless be faced, for until Lloyd accepts the truth, he will remain in his bitterness."
"Then the key is to break him of his bitterness," Misako concluded. "Is that why he is training Kigaru and Yuuma, not you?"
"One of many reasons," Wu admitted.
Wu and Misako grasped each other's hands, then glanced out at the sunset together. Suddenly, they felt a surge of wind hit the side of the Bounty, followed by two thumps onto the deck. Wu and Misako turned around, then gasped. Standing before them was two men, an armor-plated Dareth holding a shuriken and a weary Morro yielding a katana.